Automotive hubcaps are typically decorative coverings which are secured to the outside of a wheel after the wheel has been mounted on a car. Depending on the style of the hubcap, it may cover from a small center portion of the wheel to most of the exterior surface of the wheel.
Traditionally, hubcaps have been made of metal. However, there is an increasing desire to manufacture hubcaps out of plastic. Plastic hubcaps are lightweight, easy to manufacture by injection molding and generally less expensive than metal hubcaps. For a decorative finish, the plastic hubcap may be made of a platable or colored plastic as desired.
Hubcaps are secured to the wheel by a variety of means, all of which must allow the hubcap to be easily removed. This is required to allow access to the lug nuts for removal of the wheel, e.g. to change or repair a tire, for brake repair, etc. One type of hubcap is secured to the wheel by spring clips located at about the periphery of the hubcap. While such hubcaps are easily installed and removed, they are also easily loosened and knocked off during driving. Due to the spring force required, this type of hubcap is generally not made out of plastic.
Another type of hubcap, which can be made out of plastic, is secured to the wheel by screws or the like. Often, the screws extend into threaded holes in the wheel or into metal clips which are attached to the wheel. In such an arrangement, misalignment of the screws and screw holes and/or clips during assembly result in hubcaps not adequately secured to the wheel. Moreover, the screws cannot be tightened so tight that the plastic of the hubcap cracks or that the hubcaps are not easily removed. Even with metal hubcaps, the screws must be easily removed to allow removal of the hubcap. This often results in the screws loosening during driving which, in turn, results in the hubcaps falling off or becoming misaligned and being damaged. Screws which are sufficiently tight are often difficult to unscrew. This situation is often aggravated if the screw head is damaged, by the use of an improper size screwdriver.
It is apparent that there is a need for a system to secure hubcaps to automotive wheels so that the hubcap will not loosen and fall off during use, yet to allow the hubcap to be easily removed when desired.